1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a single multi-purpose pliers-type hand tool of particular use to fishermen for gripping, holding, compressing and flattening things or materials, for punching holes in materials and for cutting malleable or other solid or tubular materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While fishing, fishermen often find that they need a tool for grasping and holding hooks, lures and other fishing equipment. Fishermen also frequently need a device for cutting wire leaders, "pencil lead" weights, etc. Many fishermen satisfy these needs by carrying a common needlenose pliers with straight side cutters among their fishing equipment. However, for some purposes such a tool is inadequate.
In drift fishing, fishermen frequently use a type of weight known as "pencil lead", either solid-core pencil lead, which is essentially just lead wire, or hollow-core pencil lead, which is tubular lead wire. Usually, pencil lead comes in rolls and is cut to a length suitable to the needs of fishing a particular water.
There are several means of connecting pencil lead to a fishing line. Hollow-core pencil lead is designed to enable the fisherman to insert the line into the hollow core of the pencil lead and crimp the lead against the line to hold it in place. However, when hollow-core lead is cut to length with the straight-edge cutter on a common needlenose pliers, the hollow core is crimped shut, requiring additional effort and often another tool to reopen the core so that the lead may be used as intended. Although electricians wire strippers in various forms will cut hollow-core lead without crimping it, such a specialized tool has no other use to fishermen.
Solid-core pencil lead is most often attached to fishing line by surgical tubing. One method employs a costly and bulky three-way swivel, which is highly visible to fish, to attach the tubing between the main line and leader. Such an arrangement becomes easily fouled, causing increased loss of terminal tackle, and must be changed whenever the lead diameter is changed. Another method involves passing the line through surgical tubing and inserting the lead, relying on friction to hold the tubing and lead in place. When the lead becomes fouled, however, the tubing slides down the line to the lure, again causing the loss of terminal tackle.
Precut solid-core pencil lead is available which has a hole in one end for tying the lead to the fishing line. This lead is expensive, however, and cannot be snapped to a line or leader with a snap swivel because it is too thick at the hole. Such precut lead is also too short for some purposes and not long enough for others. It would be preferable if the fisherman could, while fishing, cut and form his own solid-core lead with a flattened and punched end for receiving a snap swivel, but no single tool is available for this purpose.
Specialty tools exist which could perform one or more of the above operations. However, to perform all such operations, the fisherman would be burdened with several different tools, which is cumbersome and inconvenient, particularly for making sinkers while fishing. Thus, there is a need for a single tool which combines all of the above-described capabilities and others commonly needed by the fisherman. This need is unsatisfied by the tools of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 18,206 shows a combination tool which includes a punch and features not needed by a fisherman. It has neither the gripping and compressing capabilities of pliers, nor wire-cutting capabilities. It also lacks the capability of cutting hollow-core pencil lead in the manner of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 276,793 includes, in addition to features not shown in the present invention, a pliers, a punch and a wire-cutting means, but does not have the ability to cut hollow-core pencil lead without compressing it. In addition, the tool is inconveniently shaped for the purposes of a fisherman, including carrying it easily while fishing.
U.S. Pat. No. 318,006 shows a combination fuse-cutter capsetter whose utility is limited to the specific purpose of cutting fuses and setting caps. It does not have the capabilities of being used as a pliers or compressing pencil lead or cutting hollow-core pencil lead in the manner provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 572,808 covers a tool for miners and blasters' use. Although this tool has pliers-like jaws, it is provided with longitudinal grooves on the jaws' meeting faces and knives are secured therein for cutting fuses and is therefore inadequate for the holding and compressing functions of the present invention. In addition, the punch provided on this tool, like the punch in U.S. Pat. No. 318,006, above, is an awl-like structure unsuited for punching holes in flattened metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,431,421 is another blasting fuse implement of specialized design unsuitable for the needs of fishermen. In particular, it lacks both the gripping and compressing capabilities of pliers and it lacks a punch. The straight-edge cutter, the only cutter on this device, is not of a type suitable for cutting metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,970,983 refers to a pliers which is actually a form of scissors for cutting and forming a type of electrical conduit. Specialized as it is, the tool will not fulfill the needs of a fisherman, nor does it provide a punch or half-moon cutters.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,097,735 shows a sewing machine tool. Although this tool combines features of pliers, punch and cutting edges, it does so in a specialized manner which provides for cutting and punching belts in a simultaneous mode. It provides neither the half-moon cutters needed for cutting hollow-core pencil lead nor tapered needle-nose jaws with scored surfaces suitable for gripping fishhooks. In addition, the punch appears to be unsuitable for punching lead sinker material.
There is a fencing pliers (no known patent) which is designed for use in construction of wire fences. It combines special pliers jaws for pulling fence staples, a hammer on the outer side of one jaw, and a staple-pulling hook on the outer side of the other jaw, wire shears adjacent to the pivot and means for grasping wire between the handle adjacent to the pivot so that wire may be stretched around a fence post. Fence pliers lack both the punch and half-moon cutters of the present invention. In addition, the pliers jaws are unsuited for grasping hooks and other fishing equipment.
Accordingly, there is a need for a combination tool for fishermen, which provides the gripping and compressing capabilities of a needle-nosed or similar pliers with both straight-edge and half-moon cutters and with a punch. Further, there is a need for these capabilities to be combined in a single light-weight tool which is easily carried and used by fishermen while fishing.